In honor of...

Rudolph Penzes, 84, was born in Hungary, survived WWII, escaped  during the Hungarian revolution in 1956, landing in Canada. He is a survivor and taught his children the importance of a solid education. It was, his daughter (Catherine Belaski) believes, one of his most important endeavors.
 Suffering dementia and struggling with cancer he is being guided through the final stages of this life by his daughter, Catherine. Mr. Penzes can only be honored by the knowledge that there are those who love him and care for his well-being. As an honor to him, his family, and his life, he will join our group of souls on this journey. These details of his life will be included with those of the veterans that I am carrying on this ride, and he will join us in spirit as we make our way to the West Coast.  Mr. Penzes, during your lucid moments I hope that you might be able to enjoy the details of this blog and be a part of this journey both in knowledge and spirit.  Move over troops, make room for Rudolph Penzes.

Elkader, IA

Traveled from Dyersville, Iowa, to Elkader, Iowa, a distance of approximately 40 miles. The countryside was beautiful; it is a recognized scenic Highway, and while the wind was brisk and the hills steep, one could not help but be captivated by the beauty of the scenery.  Upon arriving in Elkader I found a wonderful little coffee shop where I had lunch. I immediately started meeting folks so gracious and so hospitable that it was hard not to fall in love with this city of about 1400.  I called the RV Campground because I'd heard that they had cabins for rent. Turned out that it was the mayor whom I reached, and while he didn't have cabins available he turned me on to Julie Carlisle-Kane who is the proprietor of the Elkader  JailHouse Inn...the old jail that has been turned into a bed-and-breakfast!  Julie didn't have any available openings either but being the sweetie she was she vowed to make room for me somehow, somewhere in her establishment. She and her husband, Tim Kane, were so gracious and kind.

Julie, Tim, & Howard

 

Julie invited me to go mushroom hunting where she collected morels and I collected ticks. After showering, she invited me to join them for a fabulous dinner with friends, and we had a wonderful time talking about our various exploits. It was a wonderful evening and so fun to make some great new friends! Their place is amazing...an old jail converted into a bed-and-breakfast with jail cells and all!  When visiting Elkader this is a must-see stop and great place to stay...so now on this trip I can truly say I've spent the night in jail. My heartfelt thanks to the Kane family for their gracious hospitality, kindness, and great stories!

(note: the Kanes would not accept payment for my stay with them.)

My mushroom bag failed to runneth over...

 Julie collected morels; 

I collected ticks!

Crime: failed to collect morels

Pam Reinig, editor, Clayton Co. Register, & Dana Richard

Earlier in the day a very nice lady that I met at the coffee shop gave my name to the local newspaper who in turn made contact with me and conducted an interview. The editor, Pam, is not only a writer for the paper but a minister as well. We had a great discussion, talked about all of the various sites seen, and wonderful people that I had met along the way. We also discussed how much I had enjoyed and been changed by the exploits of this bicycle trip.

 Churches in this part of the country are beautiful as can be seen by this example in Petersburg, Iowa... a small town that I passed through on the way to Elkader.

Dyersville, IA

When inquiring about a place to pitch my tent while in Cascade, Iowa, the town I hit before Dyersville, I was directed to the American Legion Park.    That evening a police officer came by to check on me to be certain that I had everything that I needed. The next morning, Officer Fred Heim came by to see how my night had gone.  I was well cared for.  Thanks to Fred I was able to avoid a closed road that he brought to my attention. I altered my path and was able to get to Dyersville without having to retrace my steps.  During the ride the wind was terrible, the traffic pretty heavy but considerate in sharing the road, and the scenery beautiful.

 Toyoko and Mary were two incredibly interesting ladies that I met at a Dyersville, Iowa, restaurant. They were sisters-in-law. Toyoko, nearly 90, was dying to meet somebody who had lived in Japan...and there I was through circumstance. Mary, on the other hand, had a look of hurt in her eyes upon seeing me.
First Toyoko: she had married an American that she met while still living in Japan. They had a wonderful marriage, had traveled all around the world and now reside in Iowa, albeit, her husband lives in a rest home as he struggles with the terminal stages of a brain tumor. When she found that I had lived in Japan she wanted to talk all about her childhood home. For me that was a real treat because living in Japan was one of my greatest childhood memories.  We spoke of her country, Mount Fuji, the quality of rice and how it can't be matched by any other rice in the world, and the beauty of the country, as well as the customs. For me it was a joy to speak about Japan, a country that possesses, for me, some of my fondest memories.
Mary, who had first caught my attention with that look of sadness, softened as our conversation progressed. That look I had seen years ago when visiting a friend's mother... a friend who had lost his life at far too young an age. While pleased with my visit, it brought up a mixture of emotions as a result of her son's death.  That same look was on Mary's face.  As it turns out, she had a wonderful son in whom she had great pride and he, Daniel, had been an Olympic caliber bicyclist.  In the early 1990s he was killed by a careless motorist, one with a terrible driving record, and Mary has never fully recovered from his loss. Seeing me, a bicyclist, brought back those painful memories. Through the mysteries of circumstance we were thrown together.  I believe that our discussions were good for all of us. Toyoko was able to revisit her beloved Japan, Mary was able to talk about her son whom she loved so much, and I in turn became ever more committed to the idea of a safe system of trails that would cross our country for all to enjoy and where bicyclists, hikers, and motorists can be free of the impediment of one another's activities. This, I believe, would be a worthy cause of one's endeavors and one to which I will commit. I find it strange, one of God's mysteries, how people can be thrown together and through their communion can deal with issues in their life. God works in mysterious ways.

 The discussions with Toyoko and Mary considerably delayed my departure and as a result I decided, in spite of limited miles today, to check into a hotel.  When explaining the nature of my trip, the Comfort Inn offered me such an incredibly and ridiculously low price, that I just couldn't resist. While it had been overcast and horribly windy, it did not look like rain was imminent. One hour after checking into the Comfort Inn, the skies opened up and poured forth. It was a RAIN of biblical proportions! Thank heavens I wasn't out in it. Lucky break?

Dyersville, Iowa, was the movie site of "Field of Dreams."  It is here that you can visit the original baseball diamond carved into the field where the movie was filmed. There are no organized activities on the field so you can bring your baseball equipment and set up an impromptu game...it's free admission, open daily from April to November and available to all.

Xavier Basilica is a beautiful example of true medieval Gothic architecture in the Midwest.  It's  graceful lines are reminiscent of some of the most outstanding Gothic cathedrals in Europe.  Located in Dyersville, Iowa, it is a beautiful, breathtaking landmark.

As a kid I used to love to go to confession...so liberating being free of sin! Unfortunately the effects rarely lasted more than 5 to 10 minutes...I was as prone to sin as I was addicted to mischievousness.  Perhaps if my confessionals had been as beautiful as these, sinlessness might've had a better hold on me.

Cascade, IA

If it looks like Tom Weigand and I are beat it is because we are indeed! Very strong winds straight into our face during most of the ride and it was exhausting. Traveled from Lowden, Iowa, to Cascade, Iowa...a distance of about 38 miles. Normally trying for about 45 miles; we were lucky to get what we did today. Winds are brutal and looks to be more the same tomorrow.  Thank you Tom and Beth Weigand for your wonderful hospitality and a special thanks to Tom for riding with me today. That was over and beyond the call of duty, especially with conditions being what they were.

Patrick Orr owner of the Maid-Rite Diner has probably one of the most unique stories to tell.  Starting last April his café started being visited by a ghost! This Apparition was even caught on their surveillance video camera!  This got the attention of the local news station, the police department, and those interested in the paranormal spirit world.  Needless to say, he's become the center of attention and people are still trying to figure out if it really was a ghost. Cups and spatulas flying...shadowy figures over the sink... all of this is been part of the ordeal and even caught on camera! Patrick took Tom Weigand and me back to his computer where we could look at the video camera as well as the newscast that was done on this particular event. Needless to say, I'm pretty excited as this has been the first paranormal event on this bicycle trip. Good job, Patrick!  Hey ghost, sir, if you would bring a hamburger in the middle the night to me, I would be most appreciative. 

Steve eating a great hamburger after a ghastly ride in a ghostly restaurant.

http://www.kwwl.com/global/video/flash/popupplayer.asp?vt1=v&clipFormat=flv&clipId1=10136090&at1=News&h1=Cascade&rnd=77309840

Cedar Rapids, IA

Took today off so I could spend time with the Weigands, good friends that I've known for years, and had a wonderful dinner that Beth prepared. Tom will accompany me on part of the trip tomorrow... it will be nice to have some company for a change. We're praying for no wind and mild weather.

Driveway leading to the Weigand's home

I've always kidded Tom that he looks like he's got a chew under his lip... Only his dentist knows for sure.

Lowden, IA

 Easy day today, wind was at my back, and only had to do 31 miles to reach my destination.  Staying in a bed-and-breakfast; that's what I call roughin' it! Chose to do this because there are serious storms coming our way. Located halfway between Cedar Rapids and Clinton, this hotel was designed to accommodate automobile travel when it was built in 1915.  Lowden is situated next to the Yankee Run Stream.  It was the site of early wagon roads that ultimately became the site for the Chicago, Iowa, and Nebraska Railroad Co. back in 1857. Liz Norton, owner and proprietor, caters to the bicyclists that travel coast-to-coast on the Northern Tier.  I am, as I have been much of the trip, the first bicyclist of the season. My room is spacious, comfortable, and so inviting as it rains cats and dogs outside.

Lowden as the storm passes through. I do not believe my tent would have held up to this kind of rain! We have had perhaps 2 inches of rain in the last half-hour!  Thank you Liz for having an inn where I could stay when the storm hit.

Hello Iowa

The wind was a challenge at times but all in all it was a good day and I bicycled about 50 miles compared to the 55 I did yesterday. I crossed the  Mississippi River into Iowa this afternoon. I just barely beat a line of storms that came through shortly thereafter. There were tornado warnings, lighting, thunder and a lot of rain.  Left knee bothering me a bit...seems like fighting the wind aggravates it and it seems to be the weak point in my body at this juncture...weak link??? whole body is really a weak link!  The Mississippi River was high, had flooded over onto the plains, and a lot of trees were in the water.  Looks like I'll be heading north for quite a while now before I start my westward trek once again.  Trip is going well, scenery is very pretty, and tonight I'm in a motel in Muscatine, Iowa, that has a hot tub and that is a real treat!

Bridge across Mississippi River at Muscatine, Iowa